More Similar Than We Appear
by trulywicked
Summary: Orochimaru abducts Naruto in an attempt to give Sasuke a challenge but finds himself concerned for the blond boy's health after Naruto gets a fever. Will the snake sannin be changed by Naruto? Only time will tell.
1. Chapter 1

Oh god, I'm breaking one of my cardinal rules and actually writing a fic that has Orochimaru in a major role. I blame it on **Kativa-chan**, her fic 'Daddy Dearest' actually made me like Orochimaru but only in that fic. So since I've got a HUUUUGE case of writer's block with "Why Orange?" I'm gonna write this out and hope it helps break through the block.

**WARNING:** This fic WILL have yaoi, also known as male on male loving. If you don't like this then hit the back button. Don't flame me for the pairing if you read anyway.

**Disclaimer:** Is Sai Itachi's private plaything in the manga? No he's not ergo I don't own Naruto.

Pairings: I'm keeping that a secret for now.

_'thoughts'_

_emphasis_

_flashback_ (if I do any)

Chapter 1

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Naruto glared ruefully at the chains that held him. Why he was in this situation was a bit of a mystery to him. How he'd come to be in this situation was easy though, it was a combination of a drunk peeping Toad Sage being chased by a bevy of bloodthirsty beauties, complete exhaustion from a day of hard training, and a certain snakey sannin. That's right, he'd been abducted by Orochimaru, not Akatsuki, hence his confusion as to why he was currently chained up. As far as Naruto was aware, he was useless to the evil Sasuke-stealing snake. At the thought of Sasuke being under Orochimaru's control, Naruto's glare turned vicious.

"My my Naruto-kun, who would have thought you could summon a glare so venomous."

The sibilant hiss came from the shadows and Naruto's glare intensified even further, "Show yourself you sick son of a bitch!"

Orochimaru chuckled as he stepped forward, "I do believe that glare could rival one of Sasuke-kun's."

"What the hell do you want with me you jackass faced butt monkey?! Abducting Sasuke wasn't enough for you?!"

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow at the slur, "You certainly are creative with an insult Naruto-kun. Correct me if I'm wrong, but did Sasuke-kun not leave Konoha of his own free will?"

"That's debatable. He'd never have considered it if, one you'd never put that mark on him and, two you'd never sent your lapdogs to mock him."

"Hmm well one certainly can't argue with that. It would appear that just one year with my old teammate has done wonders for your acquisition of knowledge Naruto-kun."

Naruto blinked, "Don't you mean my intelligence?"

"No. From what Kabuto managed to gather and what little I've heard from Sasuke-kun, I'm rather certain that you've always been intelligent. I believe that your ineptitude came from a simple lack of instruction."

Naruto's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "Uh-huh riiight, sure you do. What is it that you want?"

"Such suspicion Naruto-kun, I assure you that one thing I will not do is lie to you. As for what I want, it's quite simple. Sasuke-kun has stopped progressing and he needs some kind of motivation to push him further. From Kabuto's information on you and Sasuke-kun, I know that the two of you push each other past your normal limits, therefore I believe that training the both of you will prevent Sasuke-kun's progression from stalling. This would benefit you as well Naruto-kun."

Naruto stared at the pale man in disbelief for a moment then, "Pfft! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha y-you have got to be delusional if you think I'm going to help you train Sasuke just so you'll have a strong body to take over,"

Naruto's laughter echoed in the cell as Orochimaru watched the blond youth in surprise. The last thing he'd expected was laughter. Insults, a flat no, a loud hell no, even immediate acceptance, all of those he'd have expected but laughter had not been on his list of possible reactions and truthfully it made him feel more insulted than the worst slur Naruto could come up with. Naruto gradually stopped laughing and met the snake sannin's eyes steadily, "Go find someone else to challenge the bastard because I don't want to help you."

Orochimaru swallowed his outrage at Naruto's laughter and smiled, "I think not Naruto-kun. You are the only one who will suffice and I'll be keeping you confined until you agree."

"So what should I look forward to? Torture? Experimentation? Starvation? Thirst?"

"Oh no Naruto-kun, I am not so cliché as that. You won't be starved or tortured. Kabuto will come down every day to feed you and give you water. I will simply wait you out; eventually you'll agree to train under me."

The snake sannin then left Naruto to his thoughts.

The boy sighed and closed his eyes to get some sleep. _'You know, just once it'd be nice to have someone want to train me cause they see something in _me_ alone, not cause it'd benefit someone else or cause I remind them of someone.'_

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"Good morning Naruto-kun."

Naruto opened his eyes to see Orochimaru standing in front of him. It had been a week since the snake had made his first offer and, true to his word, Kabuto had come three times daily and fed him by hand since Naruto's hands were chained to the walls. However, though the medic fed him, he never spoke to Naruto or touched him, or even met his eyes. Naruto was starving for attention, so much so that he was actually a bit glad to see Orochimaru. With the man in front of him now though, Naruto had to wonder what game the snake was playing. If he thought that just depriving Naruto of attention would get the blond to agree to help him then he was sorely mistaken.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as Orochimaru came closer, "So how are you feeling?"

"I doubt it matters to you."

"Oh you're wrong about that. Your health is of great importance to me. If you'll notice even your shackles don't chafe."

Naruto blinked as he realized that the snake sannin was right, the usual chafing and pain that shackles caused was missing.

"What the?"

"They are of a special design, intended to bind without causing any kind of damage. I had them created especially for you Naruto-kun."

"Aw I feel so honored...no wait, it's just indigestion."

Orochimaru chuckled, "I must say that you are quite entertaining."

"So what do you want this time? I can't believe you'd think that I've changed my mind."

"Of course not. I doubt that you're so weak-willed. I am simply here to keep you company."

"Uh-huh, pull the other one."

"I told you Naruto-Kun, I will not lie to you. I imagine you've been fed enough lies in your lifetime that you'll find a little honesty refreshing."

Naruto glanced away because the man had hit the nail on the head. Orochimaru smiled, "I see that I'm right. I wouldn't be surprised if my dear old teammate lied to you about the reason he trains you."

"Says I remind him of the fourth."

"Well you do look a great deal like him but that's only to be expected."

"What do you mean?"

Orochimaru blinked, "You don't know?"

"Don't know what?"

The snake sannin's indrawn breath was audible, "No one, not even Jiraya has told you about your parents?"

"I know they're dead that's all."

Orochimaru's jaw tightened, "That perverted bastard, even I am not so cruel."

"Oi! Don't insult ero-sennin!"

"Naruto-kun you cannot tell me you haven't asked Jiraya about your parents."

Naruto blinked and shrugged, "He said I wasn't ready to know."

The pale man's lips twisted in a frown, "That is no excuse to keep knowledge of a child's family from them. I'm disappointed in Jiraya; I thought he'd learned that."

"What do you mean?"

Orochimaru came closer and ran a finger over Naruto's whisker marks and the boy had to fight to keep from turning into the soft touch.

"We are more alike than you think you and me Naruto-kun."

"Have you lost what's left of your sanity? We're nothing alike!"

"No? We are both orphans who desired the Hokage post, who were shunned at a young age, who think in non-liner way and come up with new ways to utilize jutsu, who will do whatever is necessary to realized our dreams, and who were never accepted by Konoha. Are we truly so different Naruto-kun?"

Naruto swallowed, "You made a couple mistakes in tense. I _desire_ to be Hokage, present tense and I _will_ be accepted by the village one day!"

"Do you truly believe that? You truly think that through effort you will make them see you as you alone?"

"Yes!"

Orochimaru examined Naruto's eyes and saw complete faith in his own abilities in the cerulean depths, "How can you manage to make them see you through effort when the council doesn't see you despite who your father is?"

"Who the heck is my father? How could his identity possibly change their opinions of me?!"

Orochimaru cupped Naruto's cheek, "Your father's name was Namikaze Minato but his name isn't as important as his title."

"And his title?"

"He was the Yondaime Hokage."

As that sank in, Naruto began shaking his head, slowly at first then violently, "No, no, _no_ ero-sennin wouldn't keep that from me! You're wrong, you _have_ to be!"

The pale man gazed at Naruto with uncharacteristic sympathy, "I am not. Recall what pictures you've seen of the Fourth and what Jiraya has said about you and the Fourth. You may not believe me but I...regret that this causes you pain."

"GET OUT!"

The snake sannin nodded, "I will leave for now but I will return Naruto-kun."

Tears leaked out of the corner of Naruto's eyes as he thought of all the times that Jiraya, Tsunade, the Sandaime, and even Kakashi would seem to look through him and realized that they had been seeing the Yondaime. _'Why did they keep it from me? Even Kakashi-sensei didn't tell me and he knows how much I needed to know about my family!'_ The sharp sting of betrayal made Naruto sag in his chains.

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The pain of the betrayal sent Naruto spiraling into such a depression that he became ill and ran a high fever. A week after the revelation, Orochimaru stood in the cell and released the shackles, then he lifted Naruto in his arms, marveling that such a vibrant, strong person had such a delicate frame, and he carried the boy to the infirmary where Sasuke was treating a wound on his arm. The avenger glanced at his sensei and his eyes widened at the sight of the man's blond burden, "The hell?"

The raven's voice was a soft exclamation.

"I've been holding him here for two weeks in an attempt to convince him to train with you."

Sasuke snorted softly, "He'll starve to death before he'll agree to that. He'd never betray Konoha."

"Perhaps, perhaps not but for now he has a fever and needs to be tended to."

Orochimaru laid Naruto on an infirmary bed then, gathered supplies for treating a fever and Sasuke watched closely, "He never gets sick."

"This was caused by his emotions spiraling out of control. It threw his immune system out of balance resulting in his body becoming vulnerable."

"Hn," Sasuke stood staring at Naruto intently for a few more moments before leaving the infirmary. Orochimaru's gaze followed the Uchiha, surprised at the boy showing so much concern. _'Hmm it would appear that Sasuke-kun cares more for Naruto-kun than he likes to let on.'_ The sannin then turned his attention back to the feverish blond.

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Naruto's fever had been raging for three days and he'd become delirious, crying out unintelligibly and struggling against whoever was taking care of him, calming only marginally when he heard Sasuke's voice when the avenger would visit. Orochimaru was reaching his wits end, nothing was working to bring Naruto out of his fever and if it didn't break soon the boy would die. Orochimaru decided to do something drastic. He went to a cabinet and pulled out a special summoning scroll. As he prepared to break the seal on the scroll, bittersweet memories washed over him of the moment he'd been given it...

_Orochimaru stood near the village's gate watching for one certain person and noting the number of lives falling to the Kyuubi's tails. A tall blond man walked over to him cradling an equally blond infant, "Orochimaru what are you doing here?"_

_"I came to offer my help."_

_"I thought you hated Konoha."_

_"I do."_

_"Then why..."_

_"I do hate Konoha but you, you love this village and out of my feelings for you I am willing to set that aside to help you protect it."_

_The blond man blinked then looked down at the tiny bundle in his arms, "I fear that your aid won't be enough. This beast was summoned by Uchiha Madara and has had its yin and yang separated. It is unstable and there is only one was to stop it."_

_Orochimaru stared at the beautiful man before him in horrified comprehension, "No Minato, you can't be planning to..."_

_"Yes I am. I will seal the fox's yin chakra into my son and the yang into a scroll that will reside with Jiraya."_

_Orochimaru inhaled sharply and looked down at the baby, "Your son?"_

_"Yes, Naruto. He will carry his mother's name to protect him from my enemies however."_

_The snake sannin reached an unsteady hand to stroke the newborn's hair, "He deserves to know his father Minato."_

_The Yondaime smiled sadly, "I wish there was another choice but," Minato's voice trailed off as he met Orochimaru's eyes in understanding, then he spoke again, "There is something you can do for me Orochimaru."_

_"Name it."_

_"First I know you will want to take him with you, don't. I want him to grow up in Konoha so that I can watch over him in the only way I'll be able to, through a stone face."_

_Orochimaru bit back a protest and nodded._

_"Second," Minato handed Orochimaru a scroll, "That is to summon the scroll with the Kyuubi's yang chakra. I want it in your keeping and I want your word that you will never NEVER use it unless Naruto's life is in extreme danger. I know you will not go back on your word."_

_The pale sannin swallowed thickly and his voice was raspy with restrained emotion when he spoke, "You have my word Minato."_

_The blond Hokage smiled gently and reached his free hand up to cup Orochimaru's cheek, "Forgive me Orochi-kun, for not following you when you left."_

_Orochimaru's hand covered Minato's, "I would never have expected it of you so there's nothing to forgive 'Nato. You are simply far too good a person to follow me, my darkness would have consumed you eventually."_

_Minato glanced over his shoulder at the battle with the Kyuubi then turned back to Orochimaru, "I don't have much time but for one moment let me be selfish."_

_He pulled Orochimaru's head down to his and claimed a swift passionate kiss from the pale man. they pulled apart when the Naruto fussed, a string of saliva stretching between their mouths, foreheads resting against each other. Blue eyes connected with gold, "Orochi-kun, ai shiteru."_

_With those final words Minato pulled away and ran to the battleground, not hearing Orochimaru's whispered, "And I you."_

_The sannin watched as Gamabunta was summoned, as Minato performed the seal, as the fox fell, and finally as Minato crumpled to the ground protectively cradling Naruto. Orochimaru turned away and left, unaware of the single tear that fell down his cheek._

Orochimaru's hand clenched on the scroll then relaxed. He unsealed it and summoned the scroll of Kyuubi's yang chakra. A smart-mouthed toad was fused into the scroll but before it could say anything Orochimaru pinned it with a lethal glare and motioned towards Naruto. The toads subsided and allowed the sannin to open the scroll.

The pale man began to transfer the chakra from the scroll to Naruto in small increments, resting between each transfer and having Kabuto heal the damage the transfers did to Naruto's body. Finally after what seemed an eternity, the last of the chakra was sealed inside Naruto and the toad scroll disappeared. Orochimaru knew it was the calm before the storm and ordered Kabuto out and telling him to keep Sasuke out of the room. Suddenly Naruto began writhing on the bed and screaming in agony as the fox's chakra began reforming his organs and cell structure. Orochimaru joined Naruto on the bed and clasped the boy to him tightly and sent his own chakra into the blond to siphon off some of the pain into himself. The sannin ran his hand soothingly over Naruto's hair and sang a quiet lullaby to make the boy focus on him instead of the pain. For the next several hours Orochimaru took as much of Naruto's pain into himself as he could and did his best to distract the blond as his body changed. As the fox vessel calmed, he began to whimper and Orochimaru listened closely to what was said, clenching his jaw so tightly the teeth should have shattered as what Naruto revealed in his delirium infuriated the former Konoha nin, "No stop. Stop touching me. No! It hurts, it hurts! Stop please stop. No more, stop!"

On and on it went a litany of pleading and begging that revealed the truth of just how sick Konoha's hatred had become. Sometimes Naruto would be begging a specific person and each name was noted in Orochimaru's memory to be dealt with later. Soon, though not soon enough for the angered sannin, the pain stopped, the fever broke and Naruto quieted and lay still. Orochimaru let go of the boy and went to get a cloth to wipe the sweat that covered Naruto's body, fresh clothes for the boy, and clean sheets for the bed. As he bathed and dressed Naruto and changed the bed sheets, he gathered his fury into a corner of his being and locked it away for the time being. Calm again, he laid Naruto down on the clean sheets, sat in a chair beside the bed, and gently stroked the boy's hair. _'How can one so young, small, and delicate be so strong? He's suffered more than anyone should at the hands of that damn village yet he's determined to become its protector.'_ Orochimaru sighed and laid his head on the bed, letting his eyes close now that the danger to Naruto's life was over. Orochimaru's last thought before sleep claimed him was how proud Minato would be of his son.

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Whew! That may be the longest chapter of anything I've ever written. Now let me know, should I continue this or junk it? Please review and let me know what you thought? Ja ne!


	2. Chapter 2

Yes I know it took me forever and a day to finally post the second chapter of this, you can pelt me with vegetables if you feel the need. But since I've kept you all waiting this long I'll just get right to it.

_'thoughts'  
emphasis  
__flashback_

Chapter 2

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Naruto groaned as light shone into his face waking him up. He cracked his eyes open a bit and turned his head to the side to see what time his bedside clock had, only to blink in surprise when he saw a sleeping Orochimaru. _'That's right, snake face abducted me but why am I in a bed and not that holding cell?'_ Suddenly flashes of Orochimaru's revelation and being sick rushed through his mind and Naruto felt his ears flatten against his head. _'Wait a minute...'_ FELT his ears _flatten_?! Naruto raised a hand to his ear and instead of a thick fleshy lobe he felt a thin furry triangle, then Naruto became aware of something moving behind him and glanced down to see two golden tails sticking out from the bottom of his spine.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

Orochimaru jerked up from his slumber to see a spastic Naruto having a cow, "Naruto-kun?"

Naruto grabbed the sannin's shirt and jerked him forward, "What the hell kind of experiment did you do on me?!"

"None."

"Don't give me that! I have tails! TAILS! And furry ears!"

Orochimaru took a good look at Naruto then and saw a pair of golden furred fox ears with red tips and two matching tails waving in agitation behind the boy. The snakey man blinked, "Hmm well that's an interesting side effect."

"Side effect of WHAT?! What the hell did you DO?!"

"Calm down Naruto-kun. I simply completed your seal."

"What do you mean _completed_?"

"You had but half of Kyuubi's chakra sealed within you; the Yin half to be precise. I merely sealed the other half, the Yang, into you."

Naruto's eyebrow twitched as he growled, "Then how did I get _these_," he gestured to his ears and tails.

"If I were to venture a guess I'd say they come from your body's natural adjustment to absorbing the large quantity of animalistic chakra."

"NATURAL?!"

The corner of Orochimaru's mouth twitched in amusement. The blond teen seemed not to notice that the only thing protecting his modesty was a pair of too big boxers that were slipping from his hips with each spastic movement.

"Yes Naruto-kun, natur-"

"NARUTO!"

Both the blond and the sannin turned to face the door as a frantic Sasuke burst in, Sharingan spinning, followed by a very disheveled Kabuto, who's mouth was bleeding. Sasuke pulled up short as the sight of an obviously healthy, nearly naked Naruto with fox ears and tails sitting in a bed flushed from yelling at Orochimaru. He stared at the blond with only one thing going through his mind, one thing that almost gave him a nosebleed.  
Naruto looked over at Sasuke and tilted his head in question, "Teme what's wrong?"

Sasuke restored his 'I'm an unfeeling bastard' facade, his eyes fading back to their usual onyx, and hned. Naruto rolled his eyes, "Oh that's right, the Great Uchiha has no emotions so nothing _could_ be wrong."

"Hn, usuratonkachi are you aware that you're a few movements away from being naked?"

"Huh?" Naruto looked down at himself and made a small eep as he grabbed the boxers and pulled them back up, "What the hell were you looking for ketsunoana!"

"I see you've returned to you idiotic self. Trust an usuratonkachi like you to nearly die from a cold."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, "I thought the commonly held wisdom was that idiots can't catch colds."

"There's an exception to every rule."

Kabuto looked between the two and said in a confused tone, "One would think you'd never fought at the Valley of the End."

Sasuke stiffened and Naruto inhaled sharply then said, "Oh yeah, about that," he lunged at the raven and slugged him, "That's for being a bigger idiot than you say I am."

Sasuke wiped the trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth, "Feel better dobe?"

"I'm not gonna feel better until I drag your ass back to Konoha teme."

Orochimaru chuckled, "It will be quite difficult for you to do so held here as you are Naruto-kun," Naruto turned a miffed glare on the snake sannin, who smirked, "Also I would like to see you survive the villagers when they see your new accessories."

Naruto's ears, previously upright and perky, drooped for a moment as did his tails but they perked back up again as he grinned with determination, "If I can make myself look like a girl then I can hide ears and tails with a henge."

He brought his hands up in the hitsuji sign and tried to perform a henge, only to fly back from the force of his own chakra. Orochimaru caught his wrist before he crashed into the wall. The blond's eyes were huge with surprise and Orochimaru chuckled, "It would appear as if your chakra is still settling into stable pathways. Until it does you will be unable to perform any jutsu. I believe that will afford me enough time to contain you again."

Naruto's ears and tails drooped again but the determined look remained, "I'll find a way free no matter how long it takes!"

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Perhaps, perhaps not Naruto-kun," the sannin stood and motioned Sasuke and Kabuto out of the room. The avenger gave Naruto one more glance before leaving and Orochimaru paused at the door, "Suppose you do escape Naruto-kun, you would be forfeiting the best chance you have to convince Sasuke-kun to return to Konoha. As a side incentive, I could teach you how to make your ears shift back to human appearance and how to make your tails disappear," with those parting words Orochimaru left the room, the lock on the door snicking closed.

Naruto slumped down onto the bed as his current predicament slapped him upside the head. He had no use of his chakra, was being held captive by Orochimaru, Sasuke still had no intention of returning to Konoha, and even if he did escape with Sasuke in tow, his new features would be the equivalent of a death sentence in Konoha. The fox boy stared at the ceiling and mentally flipped through his options. Finally he arrived at a decision, he would train alongside Sasuke and take advantage of Orochimaru's knowledge until they were both strong enough to slip out of the snake sannin's grasp. _'And maybe I can figure out how to get snakeface to leave Konoha alone.'_ Decision made, Naruto laid down to take a nap.

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Orochimaru went to his chambers to relax after attempting to further Sasuke's training. He'd hoped that just having Naruto's presence here would motivate the Uchiha, and it had to some extent, but he knew that to get the full potential out of the avenger the blond jinchuurikii would have to be trained alongside Sasuke. The sannin lounged in his favorite chair and considered what to do with Naruto when the blond finally accepted his offer. He was not going to train Naruto in the exact same way or in the exact same arts as Sasuke, that would be more detrimental than beneficial to the Uchiha's training for a very simple reason. Naruto truly was a practical genius.

The sannin had seen it when the blond had fought against Kabuto. Mastering the final step to the Rasengan in the midst of battle was nothing to sneeze at and the fact that the blond had learned the technique over the course of a month was nothing short of incredible. Add in the fact that Jiraiya wasn't the most diligent of teachers and Orochimaru knew that given a proper teacher Naruto would blow Sasuke out of the water powerwise.

The pale man lifted a glass of wine to his lips. Naruto's taijutsu was rather pathetic, which was only to be expected considering that Jiraiya had only been focusing on ninjutsu and how to dispel genjutsu. In addition the blond's chakra control was a disaster and his ability to split his focus was non-existent. The first thing that Orochimaru would work on with Naruto was the more mundane fundamentals of shinobi skills. He smirked as he thought of how Naruto would complain and scream at him when he began training. _'This is going to be fun._

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Sasuke stepped out of the bathroom, fresh and dripping from the shower, and contemplated the good fortune of Naruto being in Orochimaru's grasp. _'If the usuratonkachi ever grows a brain and decides to play along with Orochimaru then it will be that much easier to put an end to that snake before he tries to take my body over.'_ The ravenette chuckled as he thought of how irritated Naruto would be when he finally accepted that he had no way out of the snake sannin's clutches as of yet.

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Naruto looked over at Kabuto when the medic came in to leave some food and water, "Oi Kabuto-roba, where's the hebi?"

Kabuto raised an eyebrow in question and Naruto rolled his eyes, "I want to talk to him duh."

"Hmm. I will inform Lord Orochimaru."

The blond snorted as the medic left the room, then got up and set about knotting a sheet around himself so he'd be at least slightly decently covered when Orochimaru came in. It wasn't long before the door opened and the sannin walked in raising an eyebrow at the toga the blond wore, "You wanted to see me Naruto-kun?"

Naruto folded his arms over his chest, "I'll train under you but I'm never going to stop trying to convince Sasuke to give your pasty ass the heave-ho and I will _not_, under any circumstances, be directly involved with anything you do to harm Konoha, matter of fact if I catch a whiff of you planning any kind of attack on the Leaf I'll do everything I possibly can to stop you."

The sannin smiled, "I wasn't expecting anything otherwise but I do have a question for you Naruto-kun."

"What?"

"Will you give me your word that you will not send any information about my various lairs or my troops as long as I train you?"

Naruto frowned, thought it over, then nodded, "Alright, I promise that until I get home to Konoha I won't send any intel regarding you to them."

"Excellent. Now I believe you could use some clothing yes?"

Naruto glared lightly at the inky haired man, "Gee ya think. What did you do with my clothes?"

Orochimaru chuckled, "Well I disposed of your jumpsuit, it was far too bright, so you will have to settle for a new outfit."

"Damn. I want a little orange on it."

"Why are you so fond of that color?"

Naruto looked away, "I have my reasons. So do I get a little orange or not?"

The sannin frowned in curiosity at Naruto's avoidance of answering but let it go for now, "Very well. Follow me."

Naruto trailed after the sannin through a maze of hallways until they arrived at an open doorway. Orochimaru waved Naruto into the room and smirked as the blond gawked at the number of weaponry and clothing in the room, the majority of which was black, "When I appropriated Rice country the main military village had quite a number of shops with shinobi appropriate apparel. It seemed a waste to leave it in a burning city."

Naruto frowned and looked over his shoulder at the sannin, "What about the people?"

Orochimaru blinked and felt a small shudder run through him. In that one moment the boy before him looked and sounded so much like Minato that the sannin felt a small phantom pain in his heart. He cleared his throat, "Those who I felt would be useful, the craftsmen and builders, were spared as were the children. The soldiers and the ones who opposed me were killed and their bodies left to burn with the city," Orochimaru's lips lifted in mild amusement at the disapproval in Naruto's expression, "Oh come now Naruto-kun such tactics have long been staples in any leader's arsenal, including Sarutobi-sensei's. If you truly wish to be Hokage you need to accept that you must commit and condone cold-blooded killing."

Naruto bit his lip and focused his gaze on a pair of black and gray camo pants with multiple pockets. He knew that being a shinobi was often a dirty job and killing was necessary but the scale that Orochimaru spoke of bothered him. Yet he also knew that Konoha had condoned similar actions, and that the Sandaime had ordered such acts. Naruto closed his eyes and asked himself if he would be able to do something like that. _'If I knew that letting them live could endanger my important people could I kill a helpless person or even an entire family? Could I kill in cold-blood if it would protect what I hold precious?'_ Naruto remembered his fight with Gaara and the answer came clearly. Back then, if Sasuke hadn't come and told him that Sakura was safe he would have killed the redhead. He would have suffered for it but he'd have done it and eventually come to terms with it. He opened his eyes and looked back at Orochimaru, "I don't like it. No matter how necessary it may be, I just don't like the thought of killing like that. But-"

"But?"

"If I had to, if it was all that stood between what I love and destruction, then I could do it."

The sannin looked into the crystalline blue of Naruto's eyes and saw realization and acceptance of the fact that a ninja had to kill in cold blood occasionally. _'He's just taken a large step forward.'_ The blond turned back to the pants and eyed them again before rummaging for some in his size, "So what around here has any orange?"

Orochimaru raised a brow at the way Naruto changed the subject and went over to where the arm guards and gloves were kept. He fished out a pair of long fingerless gloves in a dark orange and turned back to watch the Uzumaki rummage through the shirts.

"Man didn't they make any shirts that weren't tight and sleeveless?"

"Rice country gets quite hot and humid. The material is very light and specially woven to breathe and stretches quite a bit."

"So that's a no?"

A chuckle was Naruto's only answer and the blond grumbled as he pulled out a black shirt in his size. Then he looked around to see if he could find a jacket. After a few minutes of frustrated searching he managed to uncover a jacket similar to his old one except instead of orange and black it was black and gray, matching the pants. He also unearthed a pair of black ninja sandals. He turned to Orochimaru, who handed him the gloves. Naruto frowned for a moment then shrugged and slipped the gloves on, blinking in surprise at how comfortable they were. Then he headed behind a screen to change into the clothes. He muttered about the shirt as he wriggled into it then he slid the pants and jacket on.

When he walked out from behind the screen, Orochimaru stood there and held out a sound hitai-ate, "You'll need this for a while. Everyone knows of Sasuke-kun but you are an unfamiliar face. Until they grow accustomed to seeing you if you are not wearing a sound headband you'll be attacked."

Naruto took the hitai-ate, looked it over, and tied it around his thigh instead of his forehead, much to Orochimaru's amusement. He folded his arms across his chest again and looked up at the sannin, "Where's the stuff I had when you snatched me?"

"I felt that it would be best to leave your belongings in the clearing to foster the impression of capture."

"Impression my ass."

The sannin chuckled and led the jinchuurikii out of the equipment room and to a small parlor. He waited for Naruto to sit down in a wingback chair before sitting opposite the blond, "I will be blunt Naruto-kun, until your chakra stabilizes there is no point in attempting to teach you any ninjutsu, genjutsu, or chakra exercises. Beginning tomorrow our main focus will be building up your physical strength. You'll use gravity seals instead of traditional weights and I expect to see improvement in your speed, strength, and agility everyday.

Once I feel your speed and agility are sufficient then I will begin teaching you a taijutsu style. You will also practice weapon basics, both accuracy when thrown and efficiency of use when held. When your chakra settles then I'll add chakra control into the mix. You'll work on your body from dawn to dusk then work on your mind from dusk until you go to sleep. You won't be learning anything but the basics until I feel you've mastered them. Your early education was sadly lacking and all the pathetic idiots you had for sensei did you no good at all."

"Hey! Take that back. Not _all_ of my teachers have been lousy."

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"

Naruto looked down at his hands, "Iruka-sensei was always trying to help me even though Kyuubi killed his parents. When he found out that I couldn't read because my early sensei would kick me out of class as soon as roll was taken, he took time out to teach me. He spent his own free time teaching me how to throw weapons, do the academy basic jutsu, and the academy style of taijutsu. He'd take me out for ramen when I needed encouragement and nag me about doing homework and stuff," Naruto smiled fondly, "He's the closest thing to family I've got."

The sannin compressed his lips in surprise, it amazed him that Konoha had produced a person such as Naruto described. But then again, Konoha had also produced Minato. Orochimaru remembered the very first time he'd encountered the future Yondaime...

_Orochimaru stood on top of the Sandaime's head and gazed out at the village as the people settled in for the night. The wind kicked up sending the strands of his long hair whipping around him. The wind had a slight bite to it and the pale man closed his eyes to savor it. Somehow he felt more alive when the wind caressed his skin. He heard a soft noise from behind him. His eyes snapped open and he whirled around, kunai held before him as he took a defensive stance._

The intruder paused and studied him with light eyes, "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to disturb you."

Orochimaru saw the moonlight glint off the intruder's headband and relaxed minusculely as he noted the leaf symbol. The voice was also that of a young man, most likely a genin if the boy's height was any indication. The boy stepped further into the moonlight granting the older shinobi a clearer look at the intruding genin. His hair was pale, most likely blond or a silvery gray and his skin was slightly darker than most in Konoha. He kept approaching until he stood directly beside Orochimaru. He stood quietly for a moment allowing Orochimaru's curiosity to surface. Didn't this child know who he was? Didn't he know to avoid him as the rest of the village did?

The boy spoke softly, "It's beautiful isn't it?"

"..."

The boy turned to look up at the pale man, "Why does it make you sad?"

Orochimaru blinked in surprise, how had this boy seen his mood so easily?

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I just wondered."

"Boy do you have any idea who I am?"

The genin smiled gently, "Of course Orochimaru-dono."

"Then why are you here? If you wish me to teach you anything I won't."

The boy blinked and the smile faded, "You don't think I might just like to get to know you?"

The older shinobi sneered, "There isn't a person in this village that wishes to know me, I sincerely doubt you are any different boy."

A small spark lit in the light eyes and the boy turned to fully face him, "Well I am. This village is a family and no one in a family should be made to feel as if no one wants them around. I'll show you that not everyone has a selfish agenda Orochimaru-dono. I'll become your friend, even if you'd rather I just leave you to wallow in your gloom."

Orochimaru blinked in surprise then snorted, "I will believe that when I see proof boy."

"My name is Namikaze Minato and I'll give you your proof."

Orochimaru's lips tilted in amusement, "If nothing else Namikaze your efforts will be...entertaining but futile."

The boy s huffed and began walking away, "I'll see you tomorrow Orochimaru-dono and every day after that I don't have a mission outside the village."

The pale man watched as the boy disappeared into the night and chuckled. It was quite surprising to find someone who didn't seem to be intimidated by his appearance or reputation. It was also a rare occurrence for anyone to challenge him in anything. 'What and odd boy.'

A pair of fingers snapping in his face drew the sannin out of his memory and he looked into eyes that looked so much like Minato's it stung some long dead part of the pale man. Naruto was frowning in consternation, "You looked as if you ate something funny and I even used your name to get your attention. What were you thinking about?"

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, "Now why would you wish to know?"

The blond shrugged, "You looked more like someone with a soul than an evil heartless bastard. I'm kinda curious about what could actually do that."

"You're very blunt Naruto-kun."

"You said it yourself, I've had enough lies fed to me to last a lifetime. I don't need to add my own bullshit into the mix."

"Very true. As to what I was thinking about, I was remembering an old...friend."

Naruto tilted his head, "You mean lover don't you?"

The sannin blinked at the insight, "Blunt and perceptive, you certainly are your parents' son."

Naruto eyed him warily, "Is that a compliment or an insult?"

"Just an observation Naruto-kun. Now back to our previous discussion, you'll begin you training tomorrow and while training you _will_ address me as sensei. You can call me anything you like in complaints but when you speak to me I expect to be given the proper respect."

Naruto met the steely golden eyes and nodded, "You have my word."

"Good. I'll show you to your room and I suggest you get a good night's rest. Beginning tomorrow rest will be just a fond memory for you."

Naruto felt a chill wash over him at the mildly sadistic expression on the sannin's face. _'What have I gotten myself into now?'_

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Well how was it? I hope you liked it though I know it wasn't really worth the wait.

Now just a small guide to a couple of words Naruto used. I found them on an insult web site and they had a small section on swearing in Japanese so that's my source for these words.  
1)ketsunoana Asshole  
2)roba donkey or as we lovingly call them in the US of A, jackass

Hopefully I'll be updating this more often now that I'm streaming towards the end of Why Orange. Thanks for reading my dear friends, Ja ne!


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